


The cat and the hedgehog

by laziestgirlintown



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Catlock, Crack, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 09:26:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1599833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laziestgirlintown/pseuds/laziestgirlintown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As soon as the cat sees the hedgehog, it knows it’s something different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The cat and the hedgehog

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the true story of my cat having a crush on the hedgehog who lives in our yard, who in turn seems quite curious about him. (See end for more notes.)  
> I hope I've tagged this right and not too presumptuously, otherwise please let me know!

As soon as the cat sees the hedgehog, it knows it’s something different. It’s not a mouse or a bird to catch, play with and eat. It’s not a dog or another cat, something annoying to fight off, outwit or outrun if avoiding them fails. It’s certainly not a human, those lumbering presences who are mostly hindrances or dangers, though one or two of them are actually good for food and a type of sometimes agreeable company.

But this. This is different from all of them. The cat walks tentatively but confidently towards the hedgehog. It doesn’t want to stalk it like prey or challenge it like a cat. It wants to understand it, to know it. It wants it, even though it’s not entirely sure how. It walks closer yet, its heat tilted to one side in a question.

The hedgehog, miraculously, doesn’t run away. It lifts its snout toward the cat and sniffs. The cat stops and just looks at it, fascinated.

”You know, cat,” says its human, ”it’s really not such a good idea. You’ll both be hurt. I wish it wasn’t true, but I’m afraid it is.”

The cat knows the spines could hurt it – it isn’t stupid. That’s what the spines are for. But it also knows the hedgehog won’t hurt it. It’s the human who is stupid; who is, in fact, an idiot. It doesn’t understand. The hedgehog will understand, though: the cat is sure.

The hedgehog shuffles a few steps – adorable steps – closer, and the cat slowly walks closer too.

”Um, hedgehog,” says the boring, irritating, incessant human, ”you really might want to reconsider this. Could be dangerous.”

It’s so close now. The cat feels the excitement all the way down to its paws. The hedgehog is right here, and the cat is right here. Their noses don’t quite meet. They could, but they don’t. Instead the cat turns slightly, walking slowly on as it had been before it saw the hedgehog, curiously exploring the evening and looking for anything interesting. With no hesitation the hedgehog falls into step beside it. Its legs are much shorter but it easily keeps pace with the cat. It sniffs the grass, listens to the night noises, much like the cat does, but now they are two noses, two sets of ears. Now and again they turn to look at each other, but a lot of the time they don’t. They both know the other is there. The cat walks on as it had been before it found the hedgehog, but now everything is different. So much better.

**Author's Note:**

> In reality the cat is on a leash so they will never actually get this close. Sorry, cat. But at least it happens in a story.


End file.
